"Pociąg" Jerzego Kawalerowicza, czyli mówić własnym głosem
Jerzy Kawalerowicz's 'Night Train', or Speaking Wth His Own Voice

Summary/Abstract: In the opening remarks of his article Rek recaps theses related to the term 'Polish school'. The author argues that the films covered by the term (by Andrzej Wajda, Kazimierz Kutz and Andrzej Munk) gained success and enjoyed popularity because the vision of the world proposed by the directors generated meanings (that were significant in given circumstances) and because it touched upon major national identity-related issues. According to Rek, the impact of 'Polish school' films was in fact much stronger than the critics claimed. Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s 'Night Train' is placed against the backdrop of these films and examined from a few points of view. Rek notes, among others, that Kawalerowicz could afford to give up war issues only after he presented another cinematic formula. 'Night Train' is not about the war or its consequences. In generic terms, film has completely amorphous form, is a kind of hybrid in which patterns of a thriller, crime film and melodrama intertwine. Analysing its scenes, relations between the characters or acting method (of Zbigniew Cybulski), Rek comes to the conclusion that Kawalerowicz distanced himself from the Polish school to claim the right to speak with his own voice and make films his own way.

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